Dynamic game difficulty modification via swipe input parater change

ABSTRACT

A system, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method to adjust twitch response and collision determination to a player&#39;s skill level is provided. Gameplay information of a computer-implemented game is accessed. The gameplay information including input information indicating one or more attributes of gameplay input provided by the player. A gameplay skill level of the player of the player is estimated based on the one or more gameplay input attributes. Based on the estimated gameplay skill level of the player, respective values of one or more gameplay parameters that determine on-screen behavior of virtual in-game objects are modified, thereby a gameplay difficulty level is modified.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/742,609, filed Jan. 14, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/849,291, filed on Sep. 9, 2015, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/569,534,filed on Dec. 12, 2014, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/048,362, filed on Sep. 10, 2014, thedisclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to games and applications and,in particular embodiments, to computer-implemented, such as onlinesocial games hosted on a game server.

BACKGROUND

In many games, there is a virtual world or some other imagined playingspace where a player/user of the game controls one or more playercharacters (herein “character,” “player character,” or “PC”). Playercharacters can be considered in-game representations of the controllingplayer. As used herein, the terms “player,” “user,” “entity,” and“friend” may refer to the in-game player character controlled by thatplayer, user, entity, or friend, unless context suggests otherwise. Thegame display can display a representation of the player character. Agame engine accepts inputs from the player, determines player characteractions, decides outcomes of events and presents the player with a gamedisplay illuminating what happened. In some games, there are multipleplayers, wherein each player controls one or more player characters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system, accordingto some example embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a social networkwithin a social graph, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a game networkingsystem, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 4 is example of a game play collision detection for acomputer-implemented multiplayer game, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example method of dynamic tuning toadjust to a player skill level, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of an example data flow betweenexample components of the example system of FIG. 1, according to someexample embodiments.

FIGS. 7-8 are schematic diagrams showing an example network environment,in which various example embodiments may operate, according to someexample embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

One aspect of the disclosure provides for automatically estimating aplayer's skill level within a game based on one or more proficiencyattributes of inputs received from the player to manipulate on-screenobjects during gameplay, and adaptively modifiable one or more gameplayvariables based on the estimated skill level. In one example embodiment,the player's skill level is estimated based on twitch responsiveness andcollision avoidance during gameplay.

In some embodiments, the gameplay variables that are dynamically tunedor modified responsive to the skill estimation include one or moretwitch response parameters. Instead, or in combination, the method mayinclude dynamic tuning or modifying one or more collision determinationparameters based on the player's estimated level, the collisiondetermination parameters comprising values used in determining whetheror not in-game object collide or coincide.

In current computer-implemented games in which gameplay skill is relatedto player proficiency in manipulating on-screen objects, gameplayvariables such as twitch response and collision determination in aretypically based on set values that were predetermined through gametesting for the average players who are beginners, intermediate, oradvanced. In some instances, such gameplay parameters may vary from onegame level to another, or may be modified based on a player's gameprogress or completed in-game achievements. A benefit of a dynamicgameplay difficulty tuning mechanism as disclosed herein is that thepredetermined values of the gameplay parameters is automatically anddynamically variable during gameplay to mitigate, for example, twitchresponse and collision determination issues for players who haverelatively poor twitch responsiveness skills and/or collision avoidanceskills.

Such dynamic gameplay difficulty modification can thus provide forautomated changes in gameplay difficulty while a particular challenge orgame level is in progress, before the challenge or came level isfinished. Gameplay can thus in some instances be made easier for lessproficient players before they fail or struggle unduly with a particulargame level, challenge, or other gameplay unit. In some embodiments,gameplay difficulty may likewise be increased dynamically, during livegameplay, for more proficient players. In one embodiment, the gameplaydifficulty can be modified while the player is playing a particular gameplay (e.g., in-level modification). In other embodiments, the gameplaydifficulty can be modified before the player starts a level of after theplayer finishes a level. It can be seen that the benefits of suchdynamic gameplay parameter adaptation include that a closer correlationthan would otherwise have been the case may be achieved in subjectivelyexperienced differently level of a common gameplay activity, challenge,or level when played by players of widely differing proficiency or skilllevels

In some instances, the variable collision determination parametersinclude a threshold interval of frame overlap between two objects inorder for a game engine to determine the occurrence of a collisionbetween the two objects. In other instances, adjustments can be made tothe effective size for collision determination of one or more in-gameobjects, for example by adjustments to the size of a bounding area thatsurrounds a virtual object. In some instances, the dynamically variablegameplay parameters include sensitivity or responsivity of the gamesystem to user inputs. For example, adjustments can in some embodimentsbe made to the duration of a player finger swipe input or the tilt of amobile device in order for the finger swipe or device tilt to beinterpreted as user input for moving or directing game to move a virtualobject.

In some embodiments, a client computing device calculates a player skilllevel (PSL) based on a combination of a player's performance and/or gameinput attributes in one or more games. In such cases, the clientcomputing device communicates the PSL to a server computing device.Based on the PSL, the server computing device then selects or calculatesa gameplay difficulty quotient correlated to the PSL. The gameplaydifficulty quotient or gameplay difficulty level is sent to the clientcomputing device so that the game can be adjusted with respect to theplayer's PSL. Modifying the game according to the PSL and the gameplaydifficulty quotient ensures that the player progresses through the gameaccording to a target measure of player progress. In other embodiments,determination of player skill level proficiency may be performedserver-side, with the client-side device communicating relevant playerinput and/or behavior attributes or metrics to the server-side device toenable skill level calculation.

In cases where skill level determination is performed client-side, theclient computing device may execute software on a dynamicallyconfigurable processor device to configure the processor device toprovide a calculation module in order to modify a game difficulty level,e.g. by modifying one or more gameplay parameters. These gameplayparameters that can be modified include the duration of frame overlapthat the game counts as a collision, the size of a bounding area aroundan object, the characteristic of the player's finger swipe (e.g. long orshort finger swipe), the tilt movement of the player device, and thelike. In some embodiments, the calculation module receives the gameplaydifficulty quotient, and may also access or receive a level definitionfile. The level definition file indicates one or more settings, featuresand/or attributes of a game level that are to be modified according tothe player's skill level and the gameplay difficulty quotient. Each gamelevel has its own respective level definition file. In some embodiments,a level definition file for a first game level indicates differentsettings or parameters that are to be modified than a level definitionfile for a second game level.

According to various embodiments, a level definition file indicates thata threshold overlap interval is to be modified, with the thresholdoverlap interval in some embodiments being expressed as a thresholdnumber of consecutive rendered frames in which objects are overlapon-screen in order for the relative movement of the objects to beinterpreted as an in-game collision event. For example, virtual objectsof a game are defined as having a bounding area that surrounds thevirtual object. The bounding area is in some instances not visible andcan be of different shapes for different claims and/or differentobjects—in some instances being a box or a circle. Game logic detectswhen two virtual objects collide on the basis of detecting anintersection (or overlap) of their respective bounding areas. That is,for example, when the corners of the respective bounding areas of thetwo virtual objects overlap with each other, the game logic detects thata possible collision event has occurred between the two virtual objects.

Note that although the variable gameplay parameters described in theexample embodiments are two-dimensional objects, or have two-dimensionalbounding areas, gameplay may in other embodiments comprise movement ofvirtual objects through three-dimensional space, in which caserespective objects may have three-dimensional bounding volumes whoseoverlapping for more than the threshold overlap interval triggers acollision event.

A collision event between virtual objects is typically rendered on aframe-by-frame basis. In order to customize the player's experience, thecalculation module executes the level definition file according to thePSL and the gameplay difficulty quotient to adjust the required numberof rendered frames during which bounding areas overlap in order for theinteraction between the virtual objects to be registered as a validcollision event. For a highly-skilled player, the calculation module canmodify the game level such that bounding area overlap between twoobjects must occur during a relatively low number of rendered frames inorder to count as a valid collision event—thereby requiring that thehighly-skilled player manipulate the virtual objects with a high degreeof precision in order to progress through the game/level. For arelatively lesser skilled player, the calculation module can modify thegame level such that bounding area overlap between two objects mustoccur for at least a higher number of frames in order to count as avalid collision event—thereby requiring from the relatively low-skilledplayer a lower degree of precision in object manipulation in order toprogress through the same game/level. For example, for a highly skilledplayer that moves a character throughout a game, an overlap of thecharacter with an in-game object for half a second (e.g., low number ofrendered frames) can count as a collision. Meanwhile, for a less skilledplayer that moves a character throughout a game, the overlap of thecharacter with an in-game object must be at least one second (e.g., ahigher number of frames rendered relative to a more difficult level andmeasured by a threshold) in order to count as a collision.

In other embodiments, an extent of a physical gesture input (i.e. afinger swipe) required to move a player icon or a virtual object in thegame can be similarly adjusted by an adjustment module according to thePSL and gameplay difficulty quotient from the calculation module. For arelatively highly-skilled player, longer finger swipes can, for example,be required, while, shorter finger swipes can be required from arelatively low-skilled player in order to effect a corresponding in-gameresponse of the manipulated object.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing variousdisclosed embodiments. In particular embodiments, system 100 comprisesplayer 101, social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120b, client system 130, and network 160. The components of system 100 canbe connected to each other in any suitable configuration, using anysuitable type of connection. The components may be connected directly orover a network 160, which may be any suitable network. For example, oneor more portions of network 160 may be an ad hoc network, an intranet,an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network(LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN(WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, aportion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellulartelephone network, another type of network, or a combination of two ormore such networks.

Social network system 120 a is a network-addressable computing systemthat can host one or more social graphs. Social networking system 120 acan generate, store, receive, and transmit social networking data.Social network system 120 a can be accessed by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Game networking system120 b is a network-addressable computing system that can host one ormore online games. Game networking system 120 b can generate, store,receive, and transmit game-related data, such as, for example, gameaccount data, game input, game state data, and game displays. Gamenetworking system 120 b can be accesses by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Player 101 may use clientsystem 130 to access, send data to, and receive data from social networksystem 120 a and game networking system 120 b. Client system 130 canaccess social networking system 120 or game networking system 120 bdirectly, via network 160, or via a third-party system. As an exampleand not by way of limitation, client system 130 may access gamenetworking system 120 b via social networking system 120 a. Clientsystem 130 can be any suitable computing device, such as a personalcomputer, laptop, cellular phone, smart phone, computing tablet, etc.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular number of players 101, socialnetwork systems 120 a, game networking systems 120 b, client systems130, and networks 160, this disclosure contemplates any suitable numberof players 101, social network systems 120 a, game networking systems120 b, client systems 130, and networks 160. As an example and not byway of limitation, system 100 may include one or more game networkingsystems 120 b and no social networking systems 120 a. As another exampleand not by way of limitation, system 100 may include a system thatcomprises both social networking system 120 a and game networking system120 b. Moreover, although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular arrangement ofplayer 101, social network system 120 a, game networking system 120 b,client system 130, and network 160, this disclosure contemplates anysuitable arrangement of player 101, social network system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160.

The components of system 100 may be connected to each other using anysuitable connections 110. For example, suitable connections 110 includewireline (such as, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or DataOver Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as,for example, Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX)) or optical (such as, for example, Synchronous Optical Network(SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) connections. Inparticular embodiments, one or more connections 110 each include an adhoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, aWWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PSTN, acellular telephone network, or another type of connection, or acombination of two or more such connections. Connections 110 need notnecessarily be the same throughout system 100. One or more firstconnections 110 may differ in one or more respects from one or moresecond connections 110. Although FIG. 1 illustrates particularconnections between player 101, social network system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160, thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable connections between player 101,social network system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, client system130, and network 160. As an example and not by way of limitation, inparticular embodiments, client system 130 may have a direct connectionto social network system 120 a or game networking system 120 b,bypassing network 160.

Online Games and Game Systems

Game Networking Systems

In an online computer game, a game engine manages the game state of thegame. Game state comprises all game play parameters, including playercharacter state, non-player character (NPC) state, in-game object state,game world state (e.g., internal game clocks, game environment), andother game play parameters. Each player 101 controls one or more playercharacters (PCs). The game engine controls all other aspects of thegame, including non-player characters (NPCs), and in-game objects. Thegame engine also manages game state, including player character statefor currently active (online) and inactive (offline) players.

An online game can be hosted by game networking system 120 b, which canbe accessed using any suitable connection with a suitable client system130. A player may have a game account on game networking system 120 b,wherein the game account can contain a variety of information associatedwith the player (e.g., the player's personal information, financialinformation, purchase history, player character state, game state). Insome embodiments, a player may play multiple games on game networkingsystem 120 b, which may maintain a single game account for the playerwith respect to all the games, or multiple individual game accounts foreach game with respect to the player. In some embodiments, gamenetworking system 120 b can assign a unique identifier to each player101 of an online game hosted on game networking system 120 b. Gamenetworking system 120 b can determine that a player 101 is accessing theonline game by reading the user's cookies, which may be appended to HTTPrequests transmitted by client system 130, and/or by the player 101logging onto the online game.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access an online game andcontrol the game's progress via client system 130 (e.g., by inputtingcommands to the game at the client device). Client system 130 candisplay the game interface, receive inputs from player 101, transmittinguser inputs or other events to the game engine, and receive instructionsfrom the game engine. The game engine can be executed on any suitablesystem (such as, for example, client system 130, social networkingsystem 120 a, or game networking system 120 b). As an example and not byway of limitation, client system 130 can download client components ofan online game, which are executed locally, while a remote game server,such as game networking system 120 b, provides backend support for theclient components and may be responsible for maintaining applicationdata of the game, processing the inputs from the player, updating and/orsynchronizing the game state based on the game logic and each input fromthe player, and transmitting instructions to client system 130. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, each time player 101provides an input to the game through the client system 130 (such as,for example, by typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse of clientsystem 130), the client components of the game may transmit the player'sinput to game networking system 120 b.

Game Systems, Social Networks, and Social Graphs:

In an online multiplayer game, players may control player characters(PCs), a game engine controls non-player characters (NPCs) and gamefeatures, and the game engine also manages player character state andgame state and tracks the state for currently active (i.e., online)players and currently inactive (i.e., offline) players. A playercharacter can have a set of attributes and a set of friends associatedwith the player character. As used herein, the term “player characterstate” can refer to any in-game characteristic of a player character,such as location, assets, levels, condition, health, status, inventory,skill set, name, orientation, affiliation, specialty, and so on. Playercharacters may be displayed as graphical avatars within a user interfaceof the game. In other implementations, no avatar or other graphicalrepresentation of the player character is displayed. Game stateencompasses the notion of player character state and refers to anyparameter value that characterizes the state of an in-game element, suchas a non-player character, a virtual object (such as a wall or castle),etc. The game engine may use player character state to determine theoutcome of game events, sometimes also considering set or randomvariables. Generally, a player character's probability of having a morefavorable outcome is greater when the player character has a betterstate. For example, a healthier player character is less likely to diein a particular encounter relative to a weaker player character ornon-player character. In some embodiments, the game engine can assign aunique client identifier to each player.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access particular gameinstances of an online game. A game instance is copy of a specific gameplay area that is created during runtime. In particular embodiments, agame instance is a discrete game play area where one or more players 101can interact in synchronous or asynchronous play. A game instance maybe, for example, a level, zone, area, region, location, virtual space,or other suitable play area. A game instance may be populated by one ormore in-game objects. Each object may be defined within the gameinstance by one or more variables, such as, for example, position,height, width, depth, direction, time, duration, speed, color, and othersuitable variables. A game instance may be exclusive (i.e., accessibleby specific players) or non-exclusive (i.e., accessible by any player).In particular embodiments, a game instance is populated by one or moreplayer characters controlled by one or more players 101 and one or morein-game objects controlled by the game engine. When accessing an onlinegame, the game engine may allow player 101 to select a particular gameinstance to play from a plurality of game instances. Alternatively, thegame engine may automatically select the game instance that player 101will access. In particular embodiments, an online game comprises onlyone game instance that all players 101 of the online game can access.

In particular embodiments, a specific game instance may be associatedwith one or more specific players. A game instance is associated with aspecific player when one or more game parameters of the game instanceare associated with the specific player. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a game instance associated with a first player may be named“First Player's Play Area.” This game instance may be populated with thefirst player's PC and one or more in-game objects associated with thefirst player. In particular embodiments, a game instance associated witha specific player may only be accessible by that specific player. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a first player may access a firstgame instance when playing an online game, and this first game instancemay be inaccessible to all other players. In other embodiments, a gameinstance associated with a specific player may be accessible by one ormore other players, either synchronously or asynchronously with thespecific player's game play. As an example and not by way of limitation,a first player may be associated with a first game instance, but thefirst game instance may be accessed by all first-degree friends in thefirst player's social network. In particular embodiments, the gameengine may create a specific game instance for a specific player whenthat player accesses the game. As an example and not by way oflimitation, the game engine may create a first game instance when afirst player initially accesses an online game, and that same gameinstance may be loaded each time the first player accesses the game. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, the game engine may createa new game instance each time a first player accesses an online game,wherein each game instance may be created randomly or selected from aset of predetermined game instances. In particular embodiments, the setof in-game actions available to a specific player may be different in agame instance that is associated with that player compared to a gameinstance that is not associated with that player. The set of in-gameactions available to a specific player in a game instance associatedwith that player may be a subset, superset, or independent of the set ofin-game actions available to that player in a game instance that is notassociated with him. As an example and not by way of limitation, a firstplayer may be associated with Blackacre Farm in an online farming game.The first player may be able to plant crops on Blackacre Farm. If thefirst player accesses game instance associated with another player, suchas Whiteacre Farm, the game engine may not allow the first player toplant crops in that game instance. However, other in-game actions may beavailable to the first player, such as watering or fertilizing crops onWhiteacre Farm.

In particular embodiments, a game engine can interface with a socialgraph. Social graphs are models of connections between entities (e.g.,individuals, users, contacts, friends, players, player characters,non-player characters, businesses, groups, associations, concepts,etc.). These entities are considered “users” of the social graph; assuch, the terms “entity” and “user” may be used interchangeably whenreferring to social graphs herein. A social graph can have a node foreach entity and edges to represent relationships between entities. Anode in a social graph can represent any entity. In particularembodiments, a unique client identifier can be assigned to each user inthe social graph. This disclosure assumes that at least one entity of asocial graph is a player or player character in an online multiplayergame, though this disclosure any suitable social graph users.

The minimum number of edges required to connect a player (or playercharacter) to another user is considered the degree of separationbetween them. For example, where the player and the user are directlyconnected (one edge), they are deemed to be separated by one degree ofseparation. The user would be a so-called “first-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through one otheruser (two edges), they are deemed to be separated by two degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “second-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through N edges (orN−1 other users), they are deemed to be separated by N degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “Nth-degree friend.” As usedherein, the term “friend” means only first-degree friends, unlesscontext suggests otherwise.

Within the social graph, each player (or player character) has a socialnetwork. A player's social network includes all users in the socialgraph within N_(max) degrees of the player, where N_(max) is the maximumdegree of separation allowed by the system managing the social graph(such as, for example, social networking system 120 a or game networkingsystem 120 b). In one embodiment, No equals 1, such that the player'ssocial network includes only first-degree friends. In anotherembodiment, N_(max), is unlimited and the player's social network iscoextensive with the social graph.

In particular embodiments, the social graph is managed by gamenetworking system 120 b, which is managed by the game operator. In otherembodiments, the social graph is part of a social networking system 120a managed by a third-party (e.g., Facebook, Friendster, Myspace). In yetother embodiments, player 101 has a social network on both gamenetworking system 120 b and social networking system 120 a, whereinplayer 101 can have a social network on the game networking system 120 bthat is a subset, superset, or independent of the player's socialnetwork on social networking system 120 a. In such combined systems,game network system 120 b can maintain social graph information withedge type attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an “in-gamefriend,” an “out-of-game friend,” or both. The various embodimentsdisclosed herein are operable when the social graph is managed by socialnetworking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, or both.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a social network within a social graph. Asshown, Player 201 can be associated, connected or linked to variousother users, or “friends,” within the social network 250. Theseassociations, connections or links can track relationships between userswithin the social network 250 and are commonly referred to as online“friends” or “friendships” between users. Each friend or friendship in aparticular user's social network within a social graph is commonlyreferred to as a “node.” For purposes of illustration and not by way oflimitation, the details of social network 250 will be described inrelation to Player 201. As used herein, the terms “player” and “user”can be used interchangeably and can refer to any user or character in anonline multiuser game system or social networking system. As usedherein, the term “friend” can mean any node within a player's socialnetwork.

As shown in FIG. 2, Player 201 has direct connections with severalfriends. When Player 201 has a direct connection with anotherindividual, that connection is referred to as a first-degree friend. Insocial network 250, Player 201 has two first-degree friends. That is,Player 201 is directly connected to Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2 ₁ 221.In a social graph, it is possible for individuals to be connected toother individuals through their first-degree friends (i.e., friends offriends). As described above, each edge required to connect a player toanother user is considered the degree of separation. For example, FIG. 2shows that Player 201 has three second-degree friends to which he isconnected via his connection to his first-degree friends. Second-degreeFriend 1 ₂ 212 and Friend 2 ₂ 222 are connected to Player 201 via hisfirst-degree Friend 1 ₁ 211. The limit on the depth of friendconnections, or the number of degrees of separation for associations,that Player 201 is allowed is typically dictated by the restrictions andpolicies implemented by social networking system 120 a.

In various embodiments, Player 201 can have Nth-degree friends connectedto him through a chain of intermediary degree friends as indicated inFIG. 2. For example, Nth-degree Friend 1N 219 is connected to Player 201via second-degree Friend 3 ₂ 232 and one or more other higher-degreefriends. Various embodiments may take advantage of and utilize thedistinction between the various degrees of friendship relative to Player201.

In particular embodiments, a player (or player character) can have asocial graph within an online multiplayer game that is maintained by thegame engine and another social graph maintained by a separate socialnetworking system. FIG. 2 depicts an example of in-game social network260 and out-of-game social network 250. In this example, Player 201 hasout-of-game connections 255 to a plurality of friends, formingout-of-game social network 250. Here, Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2 ₁ 221are first-degree friends with Player 201 in his out-of-game socialnetwork 250. Player 201 also has in-game connections 265 to a pluralityof players, forming in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221,Friend 3 ₁ 231, and Friend 4 ₁ 241 are first-degree friends with Player201 in his in-game social network 260. In some embodiments, it ispossible for a friend to be in both the out-of-game social network 250and the in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221 has both anout-of-game connection 255 and an in-game connection 265 with Player201, such that Friend 2 ₁ 221 is in both Player 201's in-game socialnetwork 260 and Player 201's out-of-game social network 250.

As with other social networks, Player 201 can have second-degree andhigher-degree friends in both his in-game and out of game socialnetworks. In some embodiments, it is possible for Player 201 to have afriend connected to him both in his in-game and out-of-game socialnetworks, wherein the friend is at different degrees of separation ineach network. For example, if Friend 2 ₂ 222 had a direct in-gameconnection with Player 201, Friend 2 ₂ 222 would be a second-degreefriend in Player 201's out-of-game social network, but a first-degreefriend in Player 201's in-game social network. In particularembodiments, a game engine can access in-game social network 260,out-of-game social network 250, or both.

In particular embodiments, the connections in a player's in-game socialnetwork can be formed both explicitly (e.g., users must “friend” eachother) and implicitly (e.g., system observes user behaviors and“friends” users to each other). Unless otherwise indicated, reference toa friend connection between two or more players can be interpreted tocover both explicit and implicit connections, using one or more socialgraphs and other factors to infer friend connections. The friendconnections can be unidirectional or bidirectional. It is also not alimitation of this description that two players who are deemed “friends”for the purposes of this disclosure are not friends in real life (i.e.,in disintermediated interactions or the like), but that could be thecase.

Non-Player Character Movement Model

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a game networkingsystem, according to some example embodiments. The game networkingsystem 120 b may include a detection module 310, a calculation module320, an adjustment module 330, and a communication module 340.

In various example embodiments, the detection module 310, is amachine-implemented module that detects, manages, and stores informationrelating to a player skill level (PSL) in a game. The detection module310 can receive and update the player skill level for a plurality ofplayers in a game. The game networking system 120 b may receive datafrom the client device operated by the player to receive and update theplayer skill level throughout the game. The client device can be incommunication with the game networking system 120 b while the game isbeing executed on the client device. Based on the PSL, the detectionmodule can select a gameplay difficulty quotient correlated to the PSL.The gameplay difficulty quotient is sent to the client computing deviceso that the game can be adjusted with respect to the player's PSL. In anexample embodiment, a player skill level can be calculated based on aplayer's twitch response. Twitch refers to the motion the player makes,such as a sudden movement or reaction to an event on the screen. Twitchgameplay is a type of video gameplay scenario that tests a player'sreaction time. A player with a higher twitch response skill can reactmore quickly to an event occurring in the game than a player with lesstwitch response skill. Twitch response is further discussed below. Inanother example embodiment, a player skill level can be calculated basedon the player's ability to avoid collision. Collision avoidance skill isfurther discussed below.

In various example embodiments, the detection module 310 is furtherconfigured to receive a level definition file from a client device, thelevel definition file containing player data. Each level of a game has alevel definition file that indicates features and attributes (or gamelevel settings) that can be modified in order to customize a player'sexperience according to whether the player is a highly-skilled player ora low-skilled player. A first level definition file can modify a firstset of features and attributes for a first level and a second leveldefinition file can modify a second set of features and attributes for asecond level. For example, a first level definition file parameter canbe used to adjust the duration of frame overlap for the game todetermine a collision state, while the second definition file parametercan be used to modify the type of twitch response required to cause anobject to move within the game. The type of twitch response can compriseof any physical gesture input, such as a finger swipe using one or morefingers. The type of twitch response required include a range of size ofa gesture relative to the screen size and the duration and smoothness ofthe gesture. Players with good twitch response skills can make shortjerky gestures, whereas players with poor twitch response skills makelonger gestures in reaction to an event in the game. The players skilllevel is detected based on at least on a plurality of game moves in afirst game level completed by the player. For example, the player skilllevel is calculated based on the player completing the game with less ormore attempts than a target number of attempts. If the player completesthe level in the game with more attempts than the target number ofattempts, then the player skill level is decreased. However, if theplayer completes the level in the game with less attempts than thetarget number of attempts, then the player skill level is increased. Theadjustment of the player skill level is accomplished through adjustingthe level definition file to customize the player's experience accordingto the player kill level. Adjustments of the collision avoidance andtwitch response features through the level definition files are furtherdiscussed below.

In various example embodiments, the calculation module 320 is configuredto determine which features and attributes of the level definition fileto be modified in order to customize a player's experience according towhether the player is a highly-skilled player or a low-skilled player.The calculation module 320 also determine the extent to which thoseattributes are to be modified to adjust game difficulties to theplayer's skill level. The purposes of the adjustments are to keep theplayer engaged in the game because a player can get too frustrated ifthe game is too difficult or lose interest if the game is too easy.Therefore, the calculation module can be used to determine theappropriate difficulty level of the game for the player. Theseattributes include, but not limited to, the duration of frame overlapthat the game counts as a collision (e.g. can be measured by frameoverlap per unit time), the size of the bounding area which affectsobjection collision, the characteristic of the player's finger swipe(e.g. long or short finger swipe), and the tilt movement of the player'sdevice. These attributes reflect the manner in how proficient the playeris during game play. In an example, for a highly skilled player thatmoves a character throughout a game, an overlap of the character with anin-game object for half a second (e.g., low number of rendered frames)can count as a collision. Meanwhile, for a less skilled player thatmoves a character throughout a game, the overlap of the character withan in-game object must be at least one second (e.g., a higher number offrames rendered relative to a more difficult level and measured by athreshold) in order to count as a collision.

In various example embodiments, the calculation module 320 can furtherdetermine the duration of frame overlap for the game to determine acollision state. For example, based on the player's data from the playerdevice, the player cannot complete the game due to or the playercompletes the game with more attempts than the target number of attemptsdue to a high frequency of collision occurrence, then the targetcalculation module 320 can determine that the player has low collisionavoidance skills. Accordingly, the calculation module 320 can determinethe extent to increase the number of frame overlap required to count ascollision due to the player's low avoidance skill based on the frequencyof collision occurrence. A virtual object (and a player icon) in a gameis defined as having a bounding area that surrounds the virtual object.The bounding area that surrounds the virtual object is not visible tothe player and can be any shape. A bounding box or circle are examplesof collision geometry, however, any arbitrary bounding geometry can beused, such as multiple rectangles attached together up to the fullresolution geometry of the virtual object the bounding geometrysurrounds. The game determines when two virtual objects collide on thebasis of detecting an intersection of their respective bounding areas.That is, for example, when the corners of the respective bounding areasthat surround two virtual objects intersects with each other inrendering, the game counts that as a collision between the two virtualobjects. Sometimes, the virtual objects may visually not appear tocollide with one another, but the collision may actually occur.Collision is not based on what the user visually sees, but rather theintersection are determined based on the duration of the intersectionover a certain number of frames in rendering. For example, for ahighly-skilled player, the game can require bounding area overlapbetween two objects during a low number of frames, thereby requiringthat the highly-skilled player to manipulate the virtual objects with ahigh degree of precision in order to progress through the game. Anyinteraction between virtual objects in the game has to be renderedframe-by-frame. For a low-skilled player, the game can require boundingarea overlap between two objects during a high number of frames, therebyrequiring that the low-skilled player need not manipulate the virtualobjects with a high degree of precision in order to progress through thegame.

In various example embodiments, the calculation module 320 inconjunction with the adjustment module 330 can determine and execute thetuning of the number of frames required to trigger the collision in theframe state. Each frame is based on stream rendering, where the game issimulated at each frame as it is being rendered and streamed. As anexample, in such a stream rendering, for every second, thirty frames canbe rendered. Frame rendering is a game simulation at each frame. It isnoted that rendering is related to the visual graphics of the game andnot predictive of game play issues such as collision avoidance andtwitch response. The game does not have to be rendered in order for acollision to be detected. In other words, it is possible for analgorithm to determine there has been an overlap between two boundingareas without the rendering of the frame. Alternatively, it is possiblefor the graphics to be moved in more than one step in animation, whilethe rendering occurs only every other frame.

In various example embodiments, the calculation module 320 can furtherdetermine the size of the bounding area to affect the intersection ofthe bounding area and thus mitigate collision avoidance issues. Forexample, for a low-skilled player, the module can determine the size ofthe bounding area should be decreased, thus allowing a low-skilledplayer more grace in the area of movement before a collision occurs. Fora highly-skilled player, the module can determine the size of thebounding area should be increased, thus requiring the highly-killedplayer to be more precise in the area of movement before a collisionoccurs. The determination is based on the player skill level, where ahighly-skilled player completes the level in the game with less attemptsthan the target number of attempts, and a low-skilled player completesthe level in the game with more attempts than the target number ofattempts due to obstacles in the game requiring collision avoidance withother objects in the game.

In various example embodiments, the calculation module 320 can furtherdetermine the characteristic of the player's finger swipe (e.g. long orshort finger swipe) required to mitigate twitch responsiveness issuesand thus customize player experience. For example, for a highly-skilledplayer, the module can determine that a short, jerky gesture (e.g.finger swipe) is required to cause the movement of an object within thegame. For a low-skilled player, the module can determine that a long,and smooth gesture (e.g. finger swipe) is adequate to cause the movementof the object within the game. The determination is based on the playerskill level, where a highly-skilled player completes the level in thegame with less attempts than the target number of attempts, and alow-skilled player completes the level in the game with more attemptsthan the target number of attempts due to obstacles in the gamerequiring specific finger swipe response. The determination is alsobased on the duration of time taken to complete a finger swipe or anygesture from start to end. The highly-skilled player has a shorterduration of time, thus resulting in the short and jerky gesture. Thelow-skilled player has a longer duration of time, thus resulting thelong and smooth gesture. The characteristic of the finger swipe can alsobe made dependent on different mobile device platform. For example, thecalculation module 320 and determine that a game being played on amobile device with a smaller screen area will require a shorter fingerswipe due to the smaller game play area.

In various example embodiments, the calculation module 320 can furtherdetermine the tilt characteristics (e.g. tilt movement, and tilt degree)of the player device required to mitigate twitch responsiveness issuesand thus customize player experience. For example, for a highly-skilledplayer, the module can determine that a quick and steep tilt angle ofthe device is required to cause the movement of an object within thegame. For a low-skilled player, the module can determine that a slow andslight tile angle is adequate to cause the movement of the object withinthe game. The determination is based on the player skill level, where ahighly-skilled player completes the level in the game with less attemptsthan the target number of attempts, and a low-skilled player completesthe level in the game with more attempts than the target number ofattempts due to obstacles in the game requiring specific tilt speed andtilt angle of the player device.

In various example embodiments, the adjustment module 330 is configuredto customize the player's experience through the player definition filebased on the calculations of the calculation module 320. Thecustomization of the player's experience aims to mitigate twitchresponse and collision avoidance issues experienced by players. Thefeatures and attributes that can be adjusted to mitigate collisionavoidance issues, at least include, the duration of frame overlap thatthe game counts as a collision, and the size of the bounding area. Theduration and extent to which these features are to be adjusted arecalculated by the calculation module 320 as previously discussed indetail above. The features and attributes that can be adjusted tomitigate twitch responsiveness issues, at least include, thecharacteristic of the player's finger swipe (e.g. long or short fingerswipe), and the tilt movement of the player device. The adjustmentmodule 330 in conjunction with the calculation module 320 can adjust thenumber of frames during which the bounding area overlap, size of thebounding area, the characteristic of the player's finger swipe, and thetilt movement and tilt degree of the player device, in response to theplayer's collision avoidance skill level through the player definitionfile. The calculation module 320 determines to increase or decrease thedifficulties of the features in response to the player's skill level.Based on the determination by the calculation module 320, the adjustmentmodule 330 updates the player definition file accordingly to customizethe player's experience.

In various example embodiments, the communication module 340 isconfigured to update the game on the player device using the playerdefinition file that has been adjusted for the specific player's skilllevel by the adjustment module 330. The communication module 340 alsofacilitates the communication between modules 310-340. The modules310-340 are configured to communicate with each other (e.g., via a bus,shared memory, or a switch). Any one or more of the modules 310-350described herein may be implemented using hardware (e.g., one or moreprocessors of a machine) or a combination of hardware and software. Forexample, any module described herein may configure a processor (e.g.,among one or more processors of a machine) to perform the operationsdescribed herein for that module. Moreover, any two or more of thesemodules may be combined into a single module, and the functionsdescribed herein for a single module may be subdivided among multiplemodules. Furthermore, according to various example embodiments, modulesdescribed herein as being implemented within a single machine, database,or device may be distributed across multiple machines, databases, ordevices.

FIG. 4 is an example of a game interface for a game collision, accordingto some example embodiments. The game interface 400 can be of a gameplay event involving players 402, 404, 406. The players and gameobstacle are virtual objects that have bounding areas 408, 410, and 412,respectively. Bounding area overlap 416 occurs when the bounding area408 of player 402 overlaps with the bounding area 410 of player 404. Thegame detects that the bounding area overlap 416, and determines that theoverlap duration meets a target frame duration for the game to count theoverlap as a collision. For a low-skilled player, the calculation modulecan determine that a higher number of frame count would be required forthe game to count the overlap as a collision, thus mitigating thecollision avoidance issue. Alternatively, the calculation module candecrease the size of the bounding area as shown in bounding area 412 tomitigate the low-skilled player's collision avoidance issue.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example method 500 of modifying a gamelevel based on the player skill level. Operations in method 500 may beperformed by the game networking system 120 b. As shown in FIG. 5, themethod 500 includes operations 510, 520, and 530.

At operation 510, the detection module 310 access gameplay informationfor a player of a computer-implemented game, the gameplay informationincluding input information indicating one or more attributes ofgameplay input provided by the player. The gameplay information providedby the player is a dynamic on-screen movement that is controlled by theplayer. For instance, the player can be using a game controller to inputmovement control to move a character along a path in a game. Thegameplay information for the player includes dynamic behavior of thecontrolled in-game object being based on a level definition fileparameter that has a particular value for at least part of gameplay towhich the gameplay information relates. The level definition fileindicates one or more settings, features and/or attributes of a gamelevel that are to be modified according to the player's skill level. Thesettings of the level definition file indicate a certain number ofrendered frames are required for an in-game collision event to count asa valid collision event. For instance, the level definition fileindicates at what point when two objects in a game touch each otherwould count as a collision. Further, the setting of the level definitionfile also indicate an extent of a physical gesture input (i.e. a fingerswipe) required to move a player icon or a virtual object in the game.Also, the setting also includes the tilt movement and degree of theplayer's device required to move a virtual object in the game.

At operation 520, the calculation module 320 estimates a gameplay skilllevel of the player of the player based on the one or more gameplayinput attributes. In other words, based on the input that the player ismoving certain objects within the game, the current skill level of theplayer is estimated. For example, in an obstacle path where the purposeis to avoid the obstacle, a player is controlling a character throughthe obstacle with speed, nimbleness, fast responses to obstacles thatsuddenly appear. Base on the player's control of the character theplayer's skill level is estimated. A player's skill level can becalculated based on a player's twitch response, where the twitchresponse is determined by the player's reaction and response to an eventoccurring in the game. A player with a higher twitch response skill canreact more quickly to an event occurring in the game than a player withless twitch response skill. The type of twitch response can comprise ofany physical gesture input, such as a finger swipe using one or morefingers or a tilt movement of the player device. Further, a player skilllevel can also be calculated based on collision avoidance. Twitchresponse and collision avoidance skills have been fully discussed above.

In other embodiments, the calculation module 320 determines that theidentified player skill level satisfies one or more predefined criteria.The predefined criteria can include the attributes that define thedifficulty level of the game for the player. For instance, thepredefined criteria can include game level settings, feature, orattributes that can be modified in order to customize a player'sexperience according to the skill level of the player. This predefinedcriteria can include collision avoidance and twitch response of a playeras described in detail above.

At operation 530, the adjustment module 330 modifies respective valuesof one or more gameplay parameters that determine on-screen behavior ofvirtual in-game objects responsive to user input, thereby to modify agameplay difficulty level. In other embodiments, the adjust module 330automatically assigns to the level definition file parameter, based atleast in part on satisfaction of the one or more predefined criteria, amodified value which is to apply during subsequent gameplay by theplayer. The modified game difficulty level (or modified value) can be anadjustment to the number of frames during which the bounding areaoverlap, size of the bounding area, the characteristic of the player'sfinger swipe, and the tilt movement and tilt degree of the playerdevice, in response to the player's collision avoidance skill. Thesemodified values have been discussed in detail above. The adjustment caneither be an increase or decrease the difficulties of the features inresponse to the player's skill level. The modified value aims tomitigate twitch response and collision avoidance issues experienced byplayers.

Data Flow

FIG. 6 illustrates an example data flow between the components of system600. In particular embodiments, system 600 can include client system630, social networking system 620 a, and game networking system 620 b.The components of system 600 can be connected to each other in anysuitable configuration, using any suitable type of connection. Thecomponents may be connected directly or over any suitable network.Client system 630, social networking system 620 a, and game networkingsystem 620 b can each have one or more corresponding data stores such aslocal data store 635, social data store 645, and game data store 665,respectively. Social networking system 620 a and game networking system620 b can also have one or more servers that can communicate with clientsystem 630 over an appropriate network. Social networking system 620 aand game networking system 620 b can have, for example, one or moreinternet servers for communicating with client system 630 via theInternet. Similarly, social networking system 620 a and game networkingsystem 620 b can have one or more mobile servers for communicating withclient system 630 via a mobile network (e.g., GSM, PCS, Wi-Fi, WPAN,etc.). In some embodiments, one server may be able to communicate withclient system 630 over both the Internet and a mobile network. In otherembodiments, separate servers can be used.

Client system 630 can receive and transmit data 623 to and from gamenetworking system 620 b. This data can include, for example, webpages,messages, game inputs, game displays, HTTP packets, data requests,transaction information, updates, and other suitable data. At some othertime, or at the same time, game networking system 620 b can communicatedata 643, 647 (e.g., game state information, game system accountinformation, page info, messages, data requests, updates, etc.) withother networking systems, such as social networking system 620 a (e.g.,Facebook, Myspace, etc.). Client system 630 can also receive andtransmit data 627 to and from social networking system 620 a. This datacan include, for example, webpages, messages, social graph information,social network displays, HTTP packets, data requests, transactioninformation, updates, and other suitable data.

Communication between client system 630, social networking system 620 a,and game networking system 620 b can occur over any appropriateelectronic communication medium or network using any suitablecommunications protocols. For example, client system 630, as well asvarious servers of the systems described herein, may include TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking stacks to providefor datagram and transport functions. Of course, any other suitablenetwork and transport layer protocols can be utilized.

In addition, hosts or end-systems described herein may use a variety ofhigher layer communications protocols, including client-server (orrequest-response) protocols, such as the HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP) and other communications protocols, such as HTTP-S, FTP, SNMP,TELNET, and a number of other protocols, may be used. In addition, aserver in one interaction context may be a client in another interactioncontext. In particular embodiments, the information transmitted betweenhosts may be formatted as HyperText Markup Language (HTML) documents.Other structured document languages or formats can be used, such as XML,and the like. Executable code objects, such as JavaScript andActionScript, can also be embedded in the structured documents.

In some client-server protocols, such as the use of HTML over HTTP, aserver generally transmits a response to a request from a client. Theresponse may comprise one or more data objects. For example, theresponse may comprise a first data object, followed by subsequentlytransmitted data objects. In particular embodiments, a client requestmay cause a server to respond with a first data object, such as an HTMLpage, which itself refers to other data objects. A client application,such as a browser, will request these additional data objects as itparses or otherwise processes the first data object.

In particular embodiments, an instance of an online game can be storedas a set of game state parameters that characterize the state of variousin-game objects, such as, for example, player character stateparameters, non-player character parameters, and virtual itemparameters. In particular embodiments, game state is maintained in adatabase as a serialized, unstructured string of text data as aso-called Binary Large Object (BLOB). When a player accesses an onlinegame on game networking system 620 b, the BLOB containing the game statefor the instance corresponding to the player can be transmitted toclient system 630 for use by a client-side executed object to process.In particular embodiments, the client-side executable may be aFLASH-based game, which can de-serialize the game state data in theBLOB. As a player plays the game, the game logic implemented at clientsystem 630 maintains and modifies the various game state parameterslocally. The client-side game logic may also batch game events, such asmouse clicks, and transmit these events to game networking system 620 b.Game networking system 620 b may itself operate by retrieving a copy ofthe BLOB from a database or an intermediate memory cache (memcache)layer. Game networking system 620 b can also de-serialize the BLOB toresolve the game state parameters and execute its own game logic basedon the events in the batch file of events transmitted by the client tosynchronize the game state on the server side. Game networking system620 b may then re-serialize the game state, now modified, into a BLOBand pass this to a memory cache layer for lazy updates to a persistentdatabase.

With a client-server environment in which the online games may run, oneserver system, such as game networking system 620 b, may supportmultiple client systems 630. At any given time, there may be multipleplayers at multiple client systems 630 all playing the same online game.In practice, the number of players playing the same game at the sametime may be very large. As the game progresses with each player,multiple players may provide different inputs to the online game attheir respective client systems 630, and multiple client systems 630 maytransmit multiple player inputs and/or game events to game networkingsystem 620 b for further processing. In addition, multiple clientsystems 630 may transmit other types of application data to gamenetworking system 620 b.

In particular embodiments, a computed-implemented game may be atext-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web pages thatare generated after a player selects one or more actions to perform. Theweb pages may be displayed in a browser client executed on client system630. As an example and not by way of limitation, a client applicationdownloaded to client system 630 may operate to serve a set of webpagesto a player. As another example and not by way of limitation, acomputer-implemented game may be an animated or rendered game executableas a stand-alone application or within the context of a webpage or otherstructured document. In particular embodiments, the computer-implementedgame may be implemented using Adobe Flash-based technologies. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a game may be fully or partiallyimplemented as a SWF object that is embedded in a web page andexecutable by a Flash media player plug-in. In particular embodiments,one or more described webpages may be associated with or accessed bysocial networking system 620 a. This disclosure contemplates using anysuitable application for the retrieval and rendering of structureddocuments hosted by any suitable network-addressable resource orwebsite.

Application event data of a game is any data relevant to the game (e.g.,player inputs). In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value, and the value of the application datum maychange (i.e., be updated) at any time. When an update to an applicationdatum occurs at client system 630, either caused by an action of a gameplayer or by the game logic itself, client system 630 may need to informgame networking system 620 b of the update. For example, if the game isa farming game with a harvest mechanic (such as Zynga FarmVille), anevent can correspond to a player clicking on a parcel of land to harvesta crop. In such an instance, the application event data may identify anevent or action (e.g., harvest) and an object in the game to which theevent or action applies. For illustration purposes and not by way oflimitation, system 600 is discussed in reference to updating amulti-player online game hosted on a network-addressable system (suchas, for example, social networking system 620 a or game networkingsystem 620 b), where an instance of the online game is executed remotelyon a client system 630, which then transmits application event data tothe hosting system such that the remote game server synchronizes gamestate associated with the instance executed by the client system 630.

In particular embodiment, one or more objects of a game may berepresented as an Adobe Flash object. Flash may manipulate vector andraster graphics, and supports bidirectional streaming of audio andvideo. “Flash” may mean the authoring environment, the player, or theapplication files. In particular embodiments, client system 630 mayinclude a Flash client. The Flash client may be configured to receiveand run Flash application or game object code from any suitablenetworking system (such as, for example, social networking system 620 aor game networking system 620 b). In particular embodiments, the Flashclient may be run in a browser client executed on client system 630. Aplayer can interact with Flash objects using client system 630 and theFlash client. The Flash objects can represent a variety of in-gameobjects. Thus, the player may perform various in-game actions on variousin-game objects by make various changes and updates to the associatedFlash objects. In particular embodiments, in-game actions can beinitiated by clicking or similarly interacting with a Flash object thatrepresents a particular in-game object. For example, a player caninteract with a Flash object to use, move, rotate, delete, attack,shoot, or harvest an in-game object. This disclosure contemplatesperforming any suitable in-game action by interacting with any suitableFlash object. In particular embodiments, when the player makes a changeto a Flash object representing an in-game object, the client-executedgame logic may update one or more game state parameters associated withthe in-game object. To ensure synchronization between the Flash objectshown to the player at client system 630, the Flash client may send theevents that caused the game state changes to the in-game object to gamenetworking system 620 b. However, to expedite the processing and hencethe speed of the overall gaming experience, the Flash client may collecta batch of some number of events or updates into a batch file. Thenumber of events or updates may be determined by the Flash clientdynamically or determined by game networking system 620 b based onserver loads or other factors. For example, client system 630 may send abatch file to game networking system 620 b whenever 50 updates have beencollected or after a threshold period of time, such as every minute.

As used herein, the term “application event data” may refer to any datarelevant to a computer-implemented game application that may affect oneor more game state parameters, including, for example and withoutlimitation, changes to player data or metadata, changes to player socialconnections or contacts, player inputs to the game, and events generatedby the game logic. In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value. The value of an application datum may change atany time in response to the game play of a player or in response to thegame engine (e.g., based on the game logic). In particular embodiments,an application data update occurs when the value of a specificapplication datum is changed. In particular embodiments, eachapplication event datum may include an action or event name and a value(such as an object identifier). Thus, each application datum may berepresented as a name-value pair in the batch file. The batch file mayinclude a collection of name-value pairs representing the applicationdata that have been updated at client system 630. In particularembodiments, the batch file may be a text file and the name-value pairsmay be in string format.

In particular embodiments, when a player plays an online game on clientsystem 630, game networking system 620 b may serialize all thegame-related data, including, for example and without limitation, gamestates, game events, user inputs, for this particular user and thisparticular game into a BLOB and stores the BLOB in a database. The BLOBmay be associated with an identifier that indicates that the BLOBcontains the serialized game-related data for a particular player and aparticular online game. In particular embodiments, while a player is notplaying the online game, the corresponding BLOB may be stored in thedatabase. This enables a player to stop playing the game at any timewithout losing the current state of the game the player is in. When aplayer resumes playing the game next time, game networking system 620 bmay retrieve the corresponding BLOB from the database to determine themost-recent values of the game-related data. In particular embodiments,while a player is playing the online game, game networking system 620 bmay also load the corresponding BLOB into a memory cache so that thegame system may have faster access to the BLOB and the game-related datacontained therein.

Systems and Methods

In particular embodiments, one or more described webpages may beassociated with a networking system or networking service. However,alternate embodiments may have application to the retrieval andrendering of structured documents hosted by any type of networkaddressable resource or web site. Additionally, as used herein, a usermay be an individual, a group, or an entity (such as a business or thirdparty application).

Particular embodiments may operate in a wide area network environment,such as the Internet, including multiple network addressable systems.FIG. 7 illustrates an example network environment, in which variousexample embodiments may operate. Network cloud 760 generally representsone or more interconnected networks, over which the systems and hostsdescribed herein can communicate. Network cloud 760 may includepacket-based wide area networks (such as the Internet), privatenetworks, wireless networks, satellite networks, cellular networks,paging networks, and the like. As FIG. 7 illustrates, particularembodiments may operate in a network environment comprising one or morenetworking systems, such as social networking system 720 a, gamenetworking system 720 b, and one or more client systems 730. Thecomponents of social networking system 720 a and game networking system720 b operate analogously; as such, hereinafter they may be referred tosimply at networking system 720. Client systems 730 are operablyconnected to the network environment via a network service provider, awireless carrier, or any other suitable means.

Networking system 720 is a network addressable system that, in variousexample embodiments, comprises one or more physical servers 722 and datastores 724. The one or more physical servers 722 are operably connectedto computer network 760 via, by way of example, a set of routers and/ornetworking switches 726. In an example embodiment, the functionalityhosted by the one or more physical servers 722 may include web or HTTPservers, FTP servers, as well as, without limitation, webpages andapplications implemented using Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script,PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), Hyper TextMarkup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Java,JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), Flash, ActionScript,and the like.

Physical servers 722 may host functionality directed to the operationsof networking system 720. Hereinafter servers 722 may be referred to asserver 722, although server 722 may include numerous servers hosting,for example, networking system 720, as well as other contentdistribution servers, data stores, and databases. Data store 724 maystore content and data relating to, and enabling, operation ofnetworking system 720 as digital data objects. A data object, inparticular embodiments, is an item of digital information typicallystored or embodied in a data file, database, or record. Content objectsmay take many forms, including: text (e.g., ASCII, SGML, HTML), images(e.g., jpeg, tif and gif), graphics (vector-based or bitmap), audio,video (e.g., mpeg), or other multimedia, and combinations thereof.Content object data may also include executable code objects (e.g.,games executable within a browser window or frame), podcasts, etc.Logically, data store 724 corresponds to one or more of a variety ofseparate and integrated databases, such as relational databases andobject-oriented databases, that maintain information as an integratedcollection of logically related records or files stored on one or morephysical systems. Structurally, data store 724 may generally include oneor more of a large class of data storage and management systems. Inparticular embodiments, data store 724 may be implemented by anysuitable physical system(s) including components, such as one or moredatabase servers, mass storage media, media library systems, storagearea networks, data storage clouds, and the like. In one exampleembodiment, data store 724 includes one or more servers, databases(e.g., MySQL), and/or data warehouses. Data store 724 may include dataassociated with different networking system 720 users and/or clientsystems 730.

Client system 730 is generally a computer or computing device includingfunctionality for communicating (e.g., remotely) over a computernetwork. Client system 730 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer,personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or out-of-car navigation system,smart phone or other cellular or mobile phone, or mobile gaming device,among other suitable computing devices. Client system 730 may executeone or more client applications, such as a web browser (e.g., MicrosoftInternet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, andOpera), to access and view content over a computer network. Inparticular embodiments, the client applications allow a user of clientsystem 730 to enter addresses of specific network resources to beretrieved, such as resources hosted by networking system 720. Theseaddresses can be Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and the like. Inaddition, once a page or other resource has been retrieved, the clientapplications may provide access to other pages or records when the user“clicks” on hyperlinks to other resources. By way of example, suchhyperlinks may be located within the webpages and provide an automatedway for the user to enter the URL of another page and to retrieve thatpage.

A webpage or resource embedded within a webpage, which may itselfinclude multiple embedded resources, may include data records, such asplain textual information, or more complex digitally encoded multimediacontent, such as software programs or other code objects, graphics,images, audio signals, videos, and so forth. One prevalent markuplanguage for creating webpages is the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).Other common web browser-supported languages and technologies includethe Extensible Markup Language (XML), the Extensible Hypertext MarkupLanguage (XHTML), JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript, Cascading Style Sheet(CSS), and, frequently, Java. By way of example, HTML enables a pagedeveloper to create a structured document by denoting structuralsemantics for text and links, as well as images, web applications, andother objects that can be embedded within the page. Generally, a webpagemay be delivered to a client as a static document; however, through theuse of web elements embedded in the page, an interactive experience maybe achieved with the page or a sequence of pages. During a user sessionat the client, the web browser interprets and displays the pages andassociated resources received or retrieved from the website hosting thepage, as well as, potentially, resources from other websites.

When a user at a client system 730 desires to view a particular webpage(hereinafter also referred to as target structured document) hosted bynetworking system 720, the user's web browser, or other documentrendering engine or suitable client application, formulates andtransmits a request to networking system 720. The request generallyincludes a URL or other document identifier as well as metadata or otherinformation. By way of example, the request may include informationidentifying the user, such as a user ID, as well as informationidentifying or characterizing the web browser or operating systemrunning on the user's client computing device 730. The request may alsoinclude location information identifying a geographic location of theuser's client system or a logical network location of the user's clientsystem. The request may also include a timestamp identifying when therequest was transmitted.

Although the example network environment described above and illustratedin FIG. 7 described with respect to social networking system 720 a andgame networking system 720 b, this disclosure encompasses any suitablenetwork environment using any suitable systems. As an example and not byway of limitation, the network environment may include online mediasystems, online reviewing systems, online search engines, onlineadvertising systems, or any combination of two or more such systems.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example computing system architecture, which maybe used to implement a server 722 or a client system 730. In oneembodiment, hardware system 800 comprises a processor 802, a cachememory 804, and one or more executable modules and drivers, stored on atangible computer readable medium, directed to the functions describedherein. Additionally, hardware system 800 may include a high performanceinput/output (I/O) bus 806 and a standard I/O bus 808. A host bridge 810may couple processor 802 to high performance I/O bus 806, whereas I/Obus bridge 812 couples the two buses 806 and 808 to each other. A systemmemory 814 and one or more network/communication interfaces 816 maycouple to bus 806. Hardware system 800 may further include video memory(not shown) and a display device coupled to the video memory. Massstorage 818 and 1/O ports 820 may couple to bus 808. Hardware system 800may optionally include a keyboard, a pointing device, and a displaydevice (not shown) coupled to bus 808. Collectively, these elements areintended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems,including but not limited to general purpose computer systems based onthe x86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of SantaClara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured byAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as anyother suitable processor.

The elements of hardware system 800 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, network interface 816 provides communicationbetween hardware system 800 and any of a wide range of networks, such asan Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Mass storage818 provides permanent storage for the data and programming instructionsto perform the above-described functions implemented in servers 422,whereas system memory 814 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage forthe data and programming instructions when executed by processor 802.I/O ports 820 are one or more serial and/or parallel communication portsthat provide communication between additional peripheral devices, whichmay be coupled to hardware system 800.

Hardware system 800 may include a variety of system architectures andvarious components of hardware system 800 may be rearranged. Forexample, cache 804 may be on-chip with processor 802. Alternatively,cache 804 and processor 802 may be packed together as a “processormodule,” with processor 802 being referred to as the “processor core.”Furthermore, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may notrequire nor include all of the above components. For example, theperipheral devices shown coupled to standard I/O bus 808 may couple tohigh performance I/O bus 806. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of hardware system 800 beingcoupled to the single bus. Furthermore, hardware system 800 may includeadditional components, such as additional processors, storage devices,or memories.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of hardwaresystem 800, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Of course, other embodiments are possible. Forexample, the functions described herein may be implemented in firmwareor on an application-specific integrated circuit.

Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations can becomprised of instructions that are stored on non-transitory storagemedia. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a processingsystem. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, andfirmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage media are memorydevices, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and servers. The instructionsare operational when executed by the processing system to direct theprocessing system to operate in accord with the disclosure. The term“processing system” refers to a single processing device or a group ofinter-operational processing devices. Some examples of processingdevices are integrated circuits and logic circuitry. Those skilled inthe art are familiar with instructions, computers, and storage media.

Miscellaneous

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the disclosure.

A recitation of “a”, “an,” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary. In addition, it is to beunderstood that functional operations, such as “awarding”, “locating”,“permitting” and the like, are executed by game application logic thataccesses, and/or causes changes to, various data attribute valuesmaintained in a database or other memory.

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodimentsherein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend.Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend.

For example, the methods, game features and game mechanics describedherein may be implemented using hardware components, softwarecomponents, and/or any combination thereof. By way of example, whileembodiments of the present disclosure have been described as operatingin connection with a networking website, various embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be used in connection with any communicationsfacility that supports web applications. Furthermore, in someembodiments the term “web service” and “website” may be usedinterchangeably and additionally may refer to a custom or generalizedAPI on a device, such as a mobile device (e.g., cellular phone, smartphone, personal GPS, personal digital assistance, personal gamingdevice, etc.), that makes API calls directly to a server. Still further,while the embodiments described above operate with business-relatedvirtual objects (such as stores and restaurants), the invention can beapplied to any in-game asset around which a harvest mechanic isimplemented, such as a virtual stove, a plot of land, and the like. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims and that the disclosure is intended to cover allmodifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: accessing gameplayinformation for a player of a computer-implemented game in whichgameplay comprises player control of on-screen movement of a virtualin-game object responsive at least in part to swipe input gesturesprovided by the player with respect to the in-game object; in anautomated operation performed using one or more computer processordevices configured therefor and based at least in part on the gameplayinformation, estimating a skill level of the player; in an automatedprocedure based at least in part on the estimated skill level of theplayer, modifying a gameplay difficulty level for the player bymodifying respective values of one or more swipe input parameters thatdefine respective attributes of a swipe input gesture adequate to effectcontrolled movement of the in-game object, the one or more modifiedswipe input parameters including an extent of the swipe input gesture;and controlling on-screen behavior of the in-game objects responsive tocorresponding swipe input gestures from the player based on the one ormore modified swipe input parameters.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe extent of the swipe input gesture indicates a physical extent of theswipe input gesture, such that validity of swipe input gestures foreffecting movement of the in-game object is determined based on anon-screen length of the swipe input gesture.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the modifying of the one or more swipe input parameters is suchthat a relatively increased gameplay difficulty level is effected by arelative reduction in length of swipe input gestures adequate to effectcontrol movement of the in-game object.
 4. The method of claim 2,wherein the one or more modified swipe input parameters include a sizerange for swipe input gestures to be interpreted as user input directingmovement of the virtual in-game object.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein the size range define a range of sizes of a gesture relative toapplicable screen size.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the extent ofthe swipe input gesture indicates a time duration of the swipe inputgesture.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more modifiedswipe input parameters include both: a physical extent of the swipeinput gesture; and a time duration of the swipe input gesture.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the one or more swipe input parametersincludes a required range of a speed of the swipe input gesture to causethe in-game object to move.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein themodifying of the gameplay difficulty level is applied to a particulargame level, the modifying of the gameplay difficulty level comprisingmodifying a level definition file for the particular game level.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the estimating of the skill level isperformed based on automated analysis of historic gameplay results bythe player.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimating of theskill level is performed based on automated analysis of one or moreattributes of swipe input gestures provided by the player duringhistoric gameplay.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying of thegameplay difficulty level further comprises modifying a smoothness valuefor swipe input gestures to register as object control inputs.
 13. Asystem comprising: one or more computer processor devices; and memoryhaving stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executedby the one or more computer processor devices, configure the system toperform operations comprising: accessing gameplay information for aplayer of a computer-implemented game in which gameplay comprises playercontrol of on-screen movement of a virtual in-game object responsive atleast in part to swipe input gestures provided by the player withrespect to the in-game object; based at least in part on the gameplayinformation, estimating a skill level of the player; based at least inpart on the estimated skill level of the player, modifying a gameplaydifficulty level for the player by modifying respective values of one ormore swipe input parameters that define respective attributes of a swipeinput gesture adequate to effect controlled movement of the in-gameobject, the one or more modified swipe input parameters including anextent of the swipe input gesture; and controlling on-screen behavior ofthe in-game objects responsive to corresponding swipe input gesturesfrom the player based on the one or more modified swipe inputparameters.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the extent of the swipeinput gesture indicates a physical extent of the swipe input gesture,such that validity of swipe input gestures for effecting movement of thein-game object is determined based on an on-screen length of the swipeinput gesture.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructionsconfigure the system to modify the one or more swipe input parameterssuch that a relatively increased gameplay difficulty level is effectedby a relative reduction in length of swipe input gestures adequate toeffect control movement of the in-game object.
 16. The system of claim14, wherein the one or more modified swipe input parameters include arange of sizes relative to screen size for swipe input gestures to beinterpreted as user input directing movement of in-game objects.
 17. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the one or more modified swipe inputparameters include both: a physical extent of the swipe input gesture;and a time duration of the swipe input gesture.
 18. A non-transitivecomputer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions forcausing a machine, when executing the instructions, to performoperations comprising: accessing gameplay information for a player of acomputer-implemented game in which gameplay comprises player control ofon-screen movement of a virtual in-game object responsive at least inpart to swipe input gestures provided by the player with respect to thein-game object; based at least in part on the gameplay information,estimating a skill level of the player; based at least in part on theestimated skill level of the player, modifying a gameplay difficultylevel for the player by modifying respective values of one or more swipeinput parameters that define respective attributes of a swipe inputgesture adequate to effect controlled movement of the in-game object,the one or more modified swipe input parameters including an extent ofthe swipe input gesture; and controlling on-screen behavior of thein-game objects responsive to corresponding swipe input gestures fromthe player based on the one or more modified swipe input parameters.